The Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO), after the success of Chandrayaan-3, has been basking in glory. However, there is a tight schedule ahead for the space agency. In a big boost to India's space prowess, the LM comprising the lander (Vikram) and the 26 kg rover (Pragyan), made the soft landing near the south polar region of the Moon on August 23,,less than a week after a similar Russian lander crashed.
ALSO READ: Chandrayaan-3 successfully lands on Moon's south pole, India first country to achieve this feat
Aditya L1 is a planned coronagraphy spacecraft to study the solar atmosphere, currently being designed and developed by the ISRO and various other Indian research institutes. The Aditya L1 mission is set to launch by the end of August or early September 2023, with the spacecraft already having reached the spaceport in Sriharikota.
Gaganyaan: Gaganyaan is a crewed orbital spacecraft intended to be the formative spacecraft of the Indian Human Spaceflight Programme. As per the latest update, ISRO successfully conducted a series of tests on drogue parachutes, which would play a pivotal role in stabilising the crew module and reducing its velocity to a safe level during re-entry in the planned Gaganyaan human space flight mission. The Gaganyaan mission hopes to safely transport astronauts to Space and back. The first crewed mission was originally planned to be launched on ISRO's LVM3 in December 2021. According to reports, ISRO was aiming for a 2025 launch of Gaganyaan.
Venus Orbiter Mission: After the Moon, now ISRO is planning a mission to Venus. The Venus Orbiter Mission unofficially known as Shukrayaan is a planned orbiter to Venus to study the surface and atmosphere of Venus. In 2018, the Venus mission was in the configuration study phase and ISRO has not sought the government's full approval. For this mission, Swedish Institute of Space Physics is engaged with ISRO. Venus Orbiter Mission is planned for launch in December 2024, with an alternate window in 2031.
